Contrasts between children's visualization and understanding of a filmed story and of a story in print are drawn in the introduction of this symposium paper. Discussion then briefly focuses on variables related to studying effects of story pictures on viewers, such as the story-line, audience characteristics, and the coordination of story modality and measurement instruments. At the conclusion of the presentation, a study examining how children visualize, draw, and make inferences about story content presented aurally on tape or as a Disney-style animated film is briefly described. Children viewing the film were found to differ from children hearing the taped story and from control group subjects in terms of the details of their drawings, accuracy of rendering, inferences about the main character, and use of different information sources when reasoning about the story. Findings suggest that mode of story presentation may influence cognitive processes used by children as well as their aesthetic and artistic development. Results additionally suggest that memorable television or film imagery inspires in children the practicing of new graphic means, and offers them new perceptions of familiar things. (Author/RH)